IN  HUNAN  PROVINCE,  CHINA 


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niie  INSPIRING  STORY 
GOD’S  WORK  and 
WORKERS 


of 


UNDER  AUSPICES  OF  THE 

Bible  Institute  of  Los  Angeles 

IN  HUNAN  PROVINCE,  CHINA 


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Dr.  Frank  A.  Keller,  Superintendent,  and  Some  of  His  Helpers 
The  Bible  Institute  in  Hunan  Province,  China 


Dr.  Keller 


Dragon  steps  at  entrance  to  main  temple  of  Nan  Yoh.  Pilgrims  are  rubbing  brass 
coins  on  the  dragon.  They  sew  these  coins  on  the  hats  of  their  children  to  ward  off  demons 
and  disease.  Our  colporteurs  are  preaching  Christ  to  them,  and  giving  them  Scriptures. 


THE  INSPIRING  STORY  OF  GOD’S  WORK  AND  WORKERS 
UNDER  AUSPICES  OF  BIBLE  INSTITUTE  OF  LOS  ANGELES 
IN  HUNAN  PROVINCE,  CHINA 


^ ^ ^ 


Tlie  Beginning 


FEW  years  ago  Dr.  Frank  A.  Keller,  for  many  years  a member 
of  the  China  Inland  Mission,  saw  a trim  and  sprightly  launch 
steam  up  the  Siang  River  and  anchor  at  Changsha,  the  capital 
of  Hunan,  China.  Without  delay,  a company  of  foreigners  and 
Chinese  came  ashore  and  began  distributing  in  the  shops  and 
houses  attractive  little  boxes  containing  samples  of  cigarettes. 
Later  in  the  day,  when  the  farmers  and  country  merchants  were 
returning  home,  they  stood  on  temporary  platforms  by  the  way  and  gave 
to  each  man  as  he  passed,  samples  of  their  wares. 


Dr.  Keller  says:  "As  we  saw  their  strenuous  work  and  heard  of 

their  far-reaching  plans,  and  thought  of  the  thousands  and  thousands  of 
towns  and  villages  whose  millions  of  people  had  never  heard  of  Christ, 
or  even  seen  a copy  of  God’s  Word,  who  would  soon  be  smoking  cigar- 
ettes, our  hearts  were  filled  with  burning  shame  and  at  the  same  time 
throbbed  with  a great  ambition,  to  be  equally  comprehensive  in  plan, 
wise  in  method,  and  prompt  in  action  for  the  King. 

Just  at  that  time  there  came  to  his  hand  a gift  from  the  Bible  House 
of  Los  Angeles  to  be  used  for  the  distribution  of  the  Scriptures  in  the 
Province  of  Hunan.  He  proposed  to  an  evangelist  and  a Christian 
teacher  to  furnish  a boat,  food  and  books  if  they  would  make  up  a party 
of  evangelists,  teachers  and  Christian  business  men,  and  undertake  a tour 
of  evangelism  in  the  province.  They  received  the  proposition  with  sym- 
pathetic enthusiasm,  and  after  a month  of  blessed  free-will  service,  re- 
turned with  “a  thrilling  and  inspiring  ” report  of  their  experiment. 

Dr.  Keller  says:  "We  reported  this  work  to  our  friends  at  Los 
Angeles,  and  told  them,  too,  of  the  launch  and  the  work  of  the  cigarette 
party,  and  how  it  had  stirred  us.  We  also  called  their  attention  to  the 
remarkable  opportunity  offered  by  the  great  waterways  of  Hunan  to 
reach  nearly  every  part  of  the  province  by  boat.  The  heads  of  the  Bible 
H ouse  of  Los  Angeles  saw  the  vision,  they  heard  the  cry  of  the  twenty- 
two  million  people  of  Hunan,  and  they  accepted  as  a commission  from 
God  the  task  of  visiting,  so  far  as  possible,  every  one  of  Hunan’s  4,268,- 
000  homes,  to  tell  the  people  of  Jesus  Christ,  and  to  leave  with  them  as 
a free  gift  copies  of  God’s  Word,  or  portions  of  it.’’ 

Dr.  Keller  himself  was  at  once  engaged  by  the  Bible  House  of  Los 
Angeles  to  inaugurate  and  superintend  a work  of  evangelization  among 


these  millions  of  Hunanese.  The  doctor  undertook  the  task  and  after 
six  years  of  service,  under  the  auspices  of  the  Bible  House,  continues  it 
as  a department  of  the  Bible  Institute  of  Los  Angeles,  which  has  now 
assumed  the  responsibility  of  its  support  and  development. 

THE  SITUATION  IN  HUNAN 

Hunan  is  one  of  the  fourteen  provinces  now  comprised  in  the  Chi- 
nese Republic.  It  embraces  about  80,000  square  miles  of  country  and 
contains  about  22,000,000  inhabitants.  Its  people  have  been  among 
the  most  proud,  arrogant  and  inhospitable,  of  the  conservative  popula- 
tion of  China.  It  became  known  as  “the  sealed  province,”  “the  hostile 
province,”  etc.,  but  is  now  freely  open  and  willing,  if  not  eager,  to  hear 
the  message  we  have  to  bring  them. 


MR.  .M.  K..  HSL^O. 

Assistant  Superintendent  of  the  Hunan  Bible  Institute 


The  opportunity  certainly  is  great, — first,  as  to  the  field,  second, 
as  to  the  conditions.  We  need  to  remind  ourselves  that  Hunan  alone  has 
22,000,000  people,  and  that  close  by  is  Kiangsi,  connected  with  Hunan 
by  modern  railroad,  and  close  business  and  social  relationships,  with  a 
population  of  over  26,000,000;  the  two  provinces  together  having  a 
population  equal  to  half  of  the  whole  United  States.  What  a field ! 

The  people  of  Hunan  are  a well  educated  people,  and  a people  of 
exceptional  energy  and  character.  It  is  a great  delight  and  satisfaction 
to  work  among  and  for  them.  Changsha  was  one  of  the  four  cities 
chosen  by  the  Rockefeller  Foundation  for  carrying  on  its  extensive  work 
along  medical  lines.  This  fact  is  suggestive. 

”1  am  twenty-one  years  old,  and  my  home  is  twenty  miles  from 
Changsha.  1 never  heard  of  Jesus  until  a few  months  ago,  when  I came 
to  the  city  to  take  a position.  Yes,  indeed,  now  that  I have  heard  about 
Jesus  1 do  believe  in  Him,  and  1 pray  every  morning  and  evening,  and 
also  give  thanks  before  my  meals,” — so  said  a young  Hunanese  in  re- 


sponse  to  an  inquiry,  and  he  is  but  one  of  millions  in  Hunan, — strong, 
handsome,  attractive  young  fellows  who  have  never  heard  of  Christ  and 
live  in  homes  with  fathers,  mothers  and  sisters  who  have  never  heard  of 
Him.  Dr.  Keller  relates  the  following  similiar  incident:  ‘‘Recently  I 
met  a finely  dressed  and  very  intelligent  young  man  on  the  city  wall, 
and  as  we  were  walking  in  the  same  direction  I had  a nice  talk  with  him. 
He  lives  right  here  in  Changsha,  but  had  never  been  in  a chapel  and  had 
never  heard  the  Gospel.  Many,  many  are  truly  afraid  to  go  to  the 
chapels,  but  if  the  Gospel  could  be  explained  to  them  in  their  own  homes, 
then  they  might  be  induced  to  come  to  the  chapels  of  the  various  mis- 
sions to  learn  more.  ’ 

These  people  are  living  in  cities  and  villages,  whole  counties  of 
them,  like  those  described  in  the  following  extract  from  a letter  recently 
received  by  one  of  our  Hunan  missionaries: 

“May  I bring  to  your  notice  the  populous  county  of  Kiyang  in  the 
Yungchow  prefecture?  There  is  a large  hsien  city  (a  county  seat)  and 
many  large  country  villages,  without  any  missionary.  1 am  responsible 
for  that  whole  area,  together  with  a large  part  of  two  other  counties. 
We  should  all  be  glad  to  give  the  fullest  co-operation  to  a band  of  your 
workers,  and  I much  hope  that  you  can  arrange  to  come  to  the  aid  of 
a district  which  is  ready  for  the  Gospel,  but  has  as  yet  been  very  little 
evangelised. 


Forward  deck  of  one  of  the  boats,  with  family  of  boatman 


It  is  to  meet  these  conditions  that  the  Bible  Institute  of  Los  Angeles 
has  taken  up  the  unique  work  thus  inaugurated  by  Dr.  Keller,  in  the 
hope  that,  by  the  grace  of  God,  they  may  reach  in  some  worthy  degree 
the  millions  of  unevangelized  souls  for  whom  the  Son  of  God  shed  His 
blood,  with  the  precious  Gospel  of  His  salvation. 

This  involves  the  careful  training  of  a large  force  of  Chinese  evan- 
gelists, a wide-spread  preaching  of  the  Gospel,  distribution  of  the  Scrip- 
tures and  a careful  conservation  of  results. 


These  buildings  are  now  in  process  of  construction  and  will  cost  (to- 
gether  with  the  ground  upon  which  they  are  located)  approximately  $125,- 
000.00.  The  campus  contains  about  five  acres  of  ground  and  is  in  what  is 
considered  to  be  the  most  desirable  and  advantageous  location  in  Changsha. 


THREE  MAIN  FEATURES  OF  OUR  WORK 

There  are  three  main  features  of  our  work,  as  follows: 

( 1 ) The  Hunan  Bible  Institute  at  Changsha. 

(2)  The  Floating  Bible  Schools. 

(3)  The  Hunan  Autumn  Bible  School  and  Conference  at  Nan 

Yoh. 


The  H unan  Bible  Institute  at  Changsha 

THE  NEED  FOR  A GENERAL  TRAINING  SCHOOL 

The  constant  call  from  Hunan  missionaries  for  trained  evangelists, 
and  the  urgent  need  to  increase  our  own  force  of  workers  in  order  to 
respond  to  the  pressing  invitations  for  the  help  of  our  bands  of  colpor- 
teurs, have  made  the  establishment  of  a central  training  school  a neces- 
sity. 

Our  colportage  work  has  emphasized  the  fact  that  many  men  con- 
verted in  middle  life  have  a real  gift  for  preaching  and  an  intense  desire 
to  make  known  to  others  the  blessed  truths  of  the  Gospel.  These  men 
realize  that  they  would  be  far  more  efficient  workers  if  they  could  have 
a thorough  course  of  Bible  study  and  training  in  methods  of  Christian 
work. 

It  is  a common  thing  for  new  converts  to  follow  our  bands  of  col- 
porteurs to  places  ten,  fifteen  and  twenty  li  (three  to  seven  miles)  away 
from  their  homes,  taking  their  food  with  them,  and  remaining  there  until 
the  band  moves  on  to  a more  distant  point,  in  order  that  they  may  con- 
tinue to  enjoy  the  advantages  of  the  morning  and  evening  Bible  classes. 

Many  of  these  men  cannot  meet  the  scholarship  standards  required 
for  admission  to  theological  seminaries,  and  some  have  passed  the  age 
limit,  yet  with  a good  Bible  school  training  they  can  render  many  years 
of  fruitful  service. 

It  is  therefore  with  hearts  full  of  gratitude  and  praise  to  God  for 
answered  prayers,  and  for  His  guidance  and  gracious  provision,  that  we 
announce  the  opening  of  the  Hunan  Bible  Institute  in  Changsha. 

WHAT  WE  BELIEVE  AND  TEACH 

The  Hunan  Bible  Institute  does  not  antagonize  any  evangelical  de- 
nomination, but  seeks  to  co-operate  with  them  all.  Our  faith  and  teach- 
ing are  “conservative  and  evangelical”  and  founded  on  an  absolute  be- 
lief in  the  Bible  as  the  Word  of  God,  a supernaturally  given  revelation 
from  God  Himself  that  is  “Able  to  make  wise  unto  salvation  through 
faith  which  is  in  Christ  Jesus.” 

We  believe  and  teach  the  fundamental  doctrines  as  stated  by  the 
International  Prophetic  Conference  at  their  meeting  in  Chicago  in  Feb- 
ruary, 1914. 


COURSES  OF  STUDY 

The  courses  of  study  are  the  outcome  of  a careful  examination  of 
courses  offered  by  Bible  schools  in  China  and  at  home,  and  more  espec- 
ially of  the  intimate  knowledge  of  the  needs  of  Chinese  Christian  workers 
gained  during  our  years  of  house-to-house  evangelism  in  Hunan. 

SPECIAL  COURSES 

In  addition  to  the  regular  course  requiring  two  years’  work  in  the 
school  and  one  year  on  the  house-boats,  there  will  be  special  courses  of 
shorter  duration  to  meet  individual  needs. 

There  will  also  be  evening  classes  for  Sunday  school  teachers  and 
others  who  have  to  work  during  the  day,  but  who  long  for  a fuller  knowl- 
edge of  God’s  Word,  and  for  a greater  proficiency  in  Christian  work. 

THE  REGULAR  COURSE  OF  STUDY 

Bible  Synthesis 

Bible  Doctrine 

Bible  Chapter  Summary 

Bible  Analysis 

Homiletics 

Pedagogy 

Church  History 

Music 

Chinese 

Special  Lectures 
Practical  Work 

The  term  “Practical  Work  ” is  used  to  designate  the  daily  evange- 
listic work  done  by  the  students  in  homes,  jails,  hospitals  and  among  the 
great  boating  population.  The  students  also  hold  out-door  evangelistic 
services.  In  the  evenings  they  preach  in  the  street  chapels  of  the  city  on 
invitation  of  the  missionary  in  charge,  and  on  Sundays  teach  in  the  Sun- 
day Schools  of  the  various  churches  where  their  help  is  desired. 

LOCATION 

God  has  given  us  a splendid  site  on  the  new  military  road,  midway 
between  the  Siao-wu  and  Liu-yang  gates.  It  is  almost  equally  distant 
from  every  mission  in  the  city.  The  site  is  sufficiently  large  to  ensure 
good  air,  give  plenty  of  room  for  exercise  and  provide  for  future  growth. 
Its  springs  furnish  an  abundance  of  wholesome  water. 


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Leader  <at  Mir,  An's  LeFY 


Tlie  Floating  Bible  ScKools 

Our  student  and  working  force  live  in  large  house  boats.  The  plan 
of  having  a number  of  men  living  together  on  a boat,  with  definite,  daily, 
united  Bible  study  and  prayer,  makes  provision  for  their  steady,  spiritual 
growth.  The  dangers  attending  the  old  methods  of  colportage,  when 
one  man  was  sent  out  alone  for  a month  or  two,  separated  from  all 
Christian  influences,  are  thus  largely  eliminated,  and  our  hearts  are  glad- 
dened by  frequent  testimonies  from  various  sources  regarding  the  earn- 
estness, diligence  and  real  spirituality  of  the  men.  In  successful  colpor- 
tage it  is  absolutely  necessary  for  the  maintenance  of  the  spiritual  life  of 
the  colporteurs  that  they  be  men  who  are  growing  in  grace  and  in  the 
knowledge  of  God  and  of  His  Word  daily  and  in  whose  hearts  there  is 
an  increasing  passion  for  souls.  We  aim,  therefore,  to  make  our  boats 
not  merely  colportage  boats,  but  floating  Bible  Schools. 

THE  BOATS 

Our  boats  are  well  adapted  to  our  purposes,  having  a kitchen,  sev- 
eral sleeping  rooms,  and  a good-sized  saloon,  which  serves  at  once  for  a 
dining  room,  study,  class  room  and  also  as  a chapel  for  small  evening 
evangelistic  services. 

We  now  have  a fleet  of  nine  of  these  boats  in  commission,  which 
we  desire  to  increase  to  twelve  as  soon  as  possible. 

The  boats  are  widely  separated  and  move  from  point  to  point  as 
the  work  demands.  Each  boat  is  manned  by  thirteen  men  (117  in  all). 
If  vacancies  occur  they  are  replaced  by  young  men  who  give  clear  evi- 
dence of  conversion  and  of  a call  to  Christian  work,  on  the  recommenda- 
tion of  any  evangelical  mission. 

LIFE  ON  THE  BOATS 

When  on  the  boats,  the  men  rise  promptly  at  5:30,  and  spend  the 
time  till  8 :00  o’clock  in  private  devotions  and  the  preparation  of  their 
lessons.  At  eight  they  assemble  for  the  class  work.  This  continues  till 
9:30,  their  breakfast  hour.  At  10:00  o’clock  they  are  off  for  a day  of 
evangelism,  and  are  expected  back  at  5 :00  o’clock  to  spend  the  evening 
in  report  and  prayer  meetings,  classes,  evangelistic  services  and  study. 
In  addition  to  a brief  season  of  united  prayer  each  morning,  they  have 
also  a weekly  prayer  meeting  and  a second  evening  for  reports  and  testi- 
monies, which  has  proved  of  great  value. 

THE  COURSE  OF  STUDY 

The  full  course  of  study  requires  two  years,  and  includes  Biblical 
Introduction;  Chapter  and  Topical  Bible  Study;  Bible  Doctrine;  Out- 
lines of  Church  History;  Music;  the  Preparation  of  Gospel  Addresses, 
with  individual  training  in  chapel  and  street  preaching,  and  in  personal 
work. 


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Tan  Yu  Chen^.  Leader  a/ h/ 6 r/^/zt 
Yuan  Oirn^Xn.  Asii.Leaderaf  hn  Le/r 


OUR  METHODS  OF  WORKING 

Some  years  ago  at  a conference  of  Hunan  missionaries,  a plan  was 
proposed  for  dividing  up  the  seventy-three  counties  of  this  province 
among  the  missions  working  within  its  borders.  The  plan  was  generally 
approved,  and  while  not  formally  adopted  in  detail,  the  several  mis- 
sions have  practically  accepted  the  responsibility  for  the  evangelization 
of  the  counties  in  which  their  work  is  located,  and  adjacent  counties  not 
occupied  by  other  missions.  In  most  cases  the  missions  are  responsible 
for  much  larger  districts  than  they  can  possibly  reach  in  many  years, 
therefore  they  gladly  welcome  our  colporteurs  to  help  them  in  a wide- 
spread proclamation  of  the  message  of  life.  In  this  way,  the  missionaries 
themselves  are  more  free  for  the  very  important  work  of  caring  for  young 
converts  and  newly  formed  churches.  This  definite  co-operation  with 
the  regularly  established  missions  provides  for  the  conservation  of  re- 
sults, and  saves  the  work  from  being  in  any  sense  a mere  passing  effort. 

THE  DAILY  PROGRAM 

Our  daily  program  of  evangelism  comprises  house  to  house  visita- 
tion, street  preaching,  guest  room  work  on  the  boat  and  evening  evan- 
gelistic services.  We  go  into  a county  only  on  the  invitation  of  the  mis- 
sion responsible  for  that  county,  and  remain  there,  moving  our  boat  from 
point  to  point,  until  we  have  visited  practically  every  home.  Daily  (ex- 
cept Sunday)  at  1 0:00  a.  m.  ten  men  from  each  boat  go  out  two  by  two 
to  visit  people  in  their  homes.  If  possible  a trained  worker  and  a first 
year  student  go  together,  the  latter  preferably  from  the  district  being 
worked.  With  this  in  mind  when  we  are  invited  to  work  in  a county, 
we  ask  the  missionary  in  charge  if  he  has  four  or  six  promising  young 
Christians  who  would  like  to  take  our  course  of  training  in  Bible  study 
and  methods  of  work.  If  this  arrangement  is  made  we  have  the  benefit 
of  the  local  dialect  of  these  men  during  our  period  of  work  in  their 
county,  a thing  of  very  great  advantage  in  house  to  house  visitation,  and 
at  the  end  of  the  campaign  we  can  give  back  to  the  mission  a number  of 
trained  men  who  will  be  of  permanent  value  to  the  local  work. 

On  entering  a home,  the  men  tell  the  Gospel  story  briefly,  but  as 
simply  and  clearly  as  possible,  and  with  a definite  appeal  for  decision. 
They  are  often  able  to  have  prayer  in  the  home,  and  before  leaving  they 
present  the  people  with  one  of  our  specially  prepard  books  of  topically 
arranged  portions  of  Scripture,  or  with  a Gospel,  or  in  some  cases  even 
with  a New  Testament.  One  or  two  tracts  are  usually  given  also.  We 
find  the  “Illustrated  Portionettes”  and  other  publications  of  the  “Dis- 
tribution Fund”  of  great  value  in  this  work. 

One  incident  will  serve  to  show  the  tactfulness  and  persistency  of 
the  men  in  their  work.  As  they  approached  one  home  the  people  quickly 
closed  and  barred  the  doors  and  windows.  However,  these  windows, 
as  is  frequently  the  case  in  China,  consisted  of  a lattice  work  over  which 
was  pasted  tissue  paper  through  which  the  voice  could  be  heard  as  well 
as  if  the  windows  were  wide  open,  so  in  spite  of  closed  windows  and  the 
ridicule  of  some  children,  the  two  colporteurs  stood  outside  and  gave 
their  message  of  love  and  joy  and  peace.  Soon  the  doors  were  opened 
and  they  were  invited  in.  The  people  explained  their  action  by  telling 


of  some  rough  men  who  had  passed  that  way  recently  and  had  both  rob- 
bed them  and  demanded  supplies  of  food.  “But,”  said  they,  “men 
with  a message  like  yours,  are  welcome.” 

The  people  visited  during  the  day  are  invited  to  attend  the  evening 
evangelistic  service  and  the  morning  Bible  study;  many  accept  these  in- 
vitations. Others  follow  the  colporteurs  from  house  to  house  and  so  hear 
the  message  over  and  over  again.  Still  others  begin  at  once  to  study  the 
books  and  later  go  down  to  the  boat  to  talk  with  the  leader  about  the 
new  and  wonderful  things  they  have  read.  The  leader  spends  the  greater 
part  of  the  day  on  the  boat,  glad  to  receive  and  help  all  who  come. 
Every  book  that  we  give  contains  an  invitation  to  go  to  the  nearest  chapel 
to  learn  more  of  the  Gospel  and  to  purchase  copies  of  the  Scriptures. 
We  also  put  in  each  book  a little  printed  slip  giving  the  exact  location 
of  any  chapels  that  may  be  in  the  county  where  we  are  working. 


Colporteurs  about  to  leave  boat  for  their  day’s  work.  Rev.  C.  S.  Champness,  of  the  English 
Wesleyan  Mission,  standing  with  them. 


Two  men  in  each  party  devote  their  time  to  pasting  up  our  large 
lithographed  Gospel  posters,  and  in  preaching  to  the  people  who  gather 
to  read  them.  The  work  in  each  section  of  a county  usually  closes  with 
one  or  two  general  evangelistic  services  held  in  some  central  place  which 
can  be  reached  by  most  of  the  people  of  that  section. 

It  is  sometimes  necessary  for  a party  to  leave  their  boat  for  a few 
weeks,  or  even  months,  and  take  up  residence  in  a rented  house,  or  in  an 
inn  if  no  house  can  be  secured,  in  order  to  reach  villages  far  inland.  The 
work  is  conducted  in  the  same  way  as  from  the  boats,  and  when  all  the 
villages  about  one  center  have  been  reached,  the  party  moves  on  to  an- 
other center.  It  is  therefore  evident  that  this  plan  of  work  is  perfectly 
practicable  even  in  provinces  that  do  not  have  the  splendid  water-ways 
with  which  Hunan  is  so  well  supplied. 


THE  PRINTED  PAGE  IN  OUR  EVANGELISM 


( 1 ) Our  Posters:  We  have  large  lithographed  posters,  30x40 
inches,  written  by  expert  Chinese  penmen,  and  printed  in  brilliant  colors 
on  strong  paper,  like  the  reduced  copy  on  page  1 8.  This  poster  reads, 
as  follows: 

“BELIEVERS  OBTAIN  SALVATION” 

“God  so  loved  the  world,  that  He  gave  His  only  begotten  Son,  that 
whosoever  believeth  on  Him,  should  not  perish,  but  have  everlasting 
life,”  John  3:16. 

The  smaller  characters  at  the  left  read:  “These  words  have  been 
taken  from  the  Holy  Scriptures  of  the  Christian  religion.  All  who  read 
are  invited  to  visit  a gospel  hall  and  investigate.  If  you  will  purchase  a 
copy  of  the  complete  New  Testament  and  read  it,  you  will  be  able  to 
understand  more  perfectly  this  important  teaching.” 


A Biola  Evangelist  Preaching  in  China 

Other  titles  and  texts  are:  “There  is  Hope,”  1 Pet.  2:24;  “The 
Free  Gift  of  Eternal  Life,”  Rom.  6:23,  etc.  Altogether  we  have  pub- 
lished eighteen  different  texts,  and  to  each  one  there  is  added  the  state- 
ment and  invitation  as  above. 

(2)  Our  Books:  We  have  also  several  specially  prepared  books 
of  Scripture  passages,  so  combined  as  to  form  a connected  narrative  and 
give  a simple  statement  of  the  way  of  salvation.  Each  has  a brief  intro- 
duction stating  that  the  extracts  are  from  the  Holy  Scriptures  of  the 
Christian  religion.  There  is  also  a cordial  invitation  to  the  reader  to  visit 
a Gospel  hall  when  he  goes  to  the  city,  to  talk  with  the  attending  evan- 
gelist about  the  Gospel,  and  to  purchase  a New  Testament  and  study  it 
diligently  to  get  more  light  upon  the  truth. 

One  of  these  books,  the  “Fu-Yin-Tso-Yao”  or  “Synopsis  of  the 
Gospel”  is  a brief  connected  statement  of  the  life  of  Christ,  wholly  in 
words  of  Scripture,  and  makes  very  plain  God’s  plan  of  salvation.  An- 


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No.  8 


I s 4 a > 

Illustrated  Portionette  "The  Good  Samaritan' 


other  book,  the  "Sheng-King-Tseh-Luh”  or  “Selected  Portions  of  the 
Holy  Scriptures"  is  the  fruit  of  three  years  of  prayerful  labor  on  the 
part  of  two  well  known  Christian  workers.  The  Bible  House  of  Los 
Angeles  has  printed  over  800,000  copies  in  Spanish,  under  the  title  “Por- 
ciones  Escogidas  de  la  Palabra  de  Deos"  and  has  circulated  them  in  24 
Spanish-speaking  countries. 

The  portions  of  Scripture  are  so  selected  and  combined  that  one 
passage  of  Scripture  is  used  to  illustrate,  explain  or  emphasize  another, 
no  other  note  or  comment  being  added.  For  example:  The  book  begins 
with  “In  the  beginning  was  the  Word,  and  the  Word  was  with  God,  and 
the  Word  was  God.  The  same  was  in  the  beginning  with  God.  All 
things  were  made  through  Him,  and  without  Him  was  not  anything  made 
that  was  made.”  John  I :l-3,  14.  Then  follows  the  story  of  the  crea- 
tion as  given  in  Genesis  1 :l-5,  24-31,  closing  with  “(Jesus)  Who  is  the 
image  of  the  invisible  God,  the  first  born  of  every  creature;  for  by  him 


A Country  Theater. 

Affording  Another  Opportunity  for  Preaching  the  Gospel 


were  all  things  created,  that  are  in  heaven  and  that  are  in  earth,  visible 
and  invisible,  whether  they  be  thrones  or  dominions,  or  principalities  or 
powers;  all  things  were  created  by  him,  and  for  him;  and  He  is  before 
all  things,  and  by  him  all  things  consist.”  Col.  1:15,  16. 

Then  comes  a description  of  Adam  in  Eden,  followed  by  the  first 
Psalm  and  the  story  of  the  fall.  God’s  judgment  of  sin  and  His  plan  of 
mercy  for  the  sinner,  are  shown  by  passages  from  Old  and  New  Testa- 
ments. The  story  of  the  brazen  serpent  is  preceded  by  Rom.  6:23  “The 
wages  of  sin  is  death,  but  the  free  gift  of  God  is  eternal  life  in  Christ 
Jesus,  our  Lord”  and  is  followed  by  John  3:14,  15,  “And  as  Moses  lifted 
up  the  serpent  in  the  wilderness,  even  so  must  the  Son  of  Man  be  lifted 
up;  that  whosoever  believeth  in  Him  may  have  eternal  Life.”  And  so 
right  on  through  the  book  of  200  pages,  by  “comparing  Scripture  with 
Scripture”  God’s  revelation  is  set  forth  and  explained  in  its  own  words. 


SUPERVISION 

The  method  of  supervision  is  one  of  the  most  important  features 
of  the  work.  The  missionary  responsible  for  the  district  is  cordially  in- 
vited to  co-operate  with  the  men,  and  some  missionaries  have  spent  sev- 
eral weeks  with  the  party, — a fellowship  that  has  been  inspiring  both  to 
the  men  and  to  the  missionaries.  The  superintendent  keeps  in  touch 
with  the  parties  by  personal  visits,  semi-monthly  reports  (see  page  38) 
and  monthly  diaries.  Copies  of  the  reports  are  sent  both  to  the  mission- 
ary of  the  county  and  to  the  superintendent;  they  give  in  tabulated  form 
a full  record  of  each  day’s  work,  the  number  of  homes  visited,  and  the 
titles  and  number  of  books  distributed.  Cases  of  special  interest  are  de- 
scribed in  detail.  Although  we  keep  thus  closely  in  touch  with  the  work. 


Mr.  M.  K.  Hsiao  and  Family 

the  actual  conduct  of  each  party  is  entrusted  absolutely  to  its  trained 
Chinese  leader,  and  we  cannot  emphasize  too  strongly  our  convictions 
as  to  the  value  of  this  detail  of  the  plan.  We  seek  to  make  the  men  feel 
they  are  serving  the  Lord  Christ  and  Him  only.  This  develops  a spirit 
of  initiative  and  enthusiasm,  and  encourages  a feeling  of  happy  freedom 
that  is  most  helpful. 

PRACTICAL  RESULTS 

As  a result  of  this  work,  mostly  in  new  fields,  many  have  given  up 
idolatry  and  have  accepted  Christ  as  their  Saviour.  Bible  classes  have 
been  formed  and  new  churches  have  been  established,  always  by  the 
missionary  of  the  county,  never  by  us.  Hundreds  of  thousands  who  had 
never  heard  the  Gospel  before  our  men  went  to  them  have  had  their 
misconceptions  cleared  away,  their  prejudices  broken  down,  and  many 
of  them  are  truly  interested  in  the  Gospel  and  are  studying  it. 

The  following  extracts  from  letters  show  how  the  missionaries  wel- 
come our  workers,  and  how  truly  God  is  with  them  and  is  blessing  their 
service.  One  missionary  wrote: — “When  we  heard  that  Mr.  Cheng 


and  his  party  were  on  the  way  to  work  in  our  district  we  started  with 
specially  earnest  intercession  for  increased  blessing  upon  the  testimony 
and  labor  of  each  Chinese  brother  in  connection  with  the  Los  Angeles 
work.  When  the  brethren  arrived  at  Paoking  1 received  them  with  great 
joy.  From  the  first  day  when  the  brethren  started  their  blessed  work 
we  had  crowds  of  listeners  to  hear  the  Gospel  daily.  There  are  many  souls 
in  the  city  and  in  the  country  who  are  deeply  influenced  by  the  Holy 
Spirit  through  the  splendid  work  of  our  Chinese  brethren.  1 think  that 
Mr.  Cheng  is  the  right  man  to  lead  this  evangelistic  work  in  Hunan,  and 
most  of  the  other  brethren  are  well  prepared  for  the  work.  ” Another 
missionary  wrote: — “There  have  been  baptized  about  a dozen  persons 
during  the  past  year  whose  conversions  can  be  traced  directly  to  the  work 
of  your  colporteurs  . . . We  now  have  seven  places  where  your 

men  have  gathered  believers.”  An  evangelist  of  one  of  the  leading  mis- 
sions in  Hunan  wrote  to  Mr.  Hsiao: — “Of  fourteen  men  recently  bap- 
tized here,  nine  were  the  direct  result  of  the  colportage  work;  again 
God’s  words  have  been  fulfilled:  ‘Others  have  labored,  and  ye  are  en- 
tered into  their  labor.’ 

INTERESTING  INCIDENTS  OF  THE  WORK 

Mr.  Chao,  93  years  of  age,  but  still  wonderfully  vigorous,  an  edu- 
cated man,  and  even  now  a great  reader,  has  four  sons,  several  grand- 
sons, and  about  twenty  great-grandsons.  Our  colporteurs  visited  Mr. 
Chao,  had  a fine  talk  with  him,  gave  him  a copy  of  the  Scriptures,  and 
as  a result  of  God’s  blessing  on  their  work,  not  only  Mr.  Chao,  but  also 
his  eldest  son,  73  years,  and  his  third  son,  63  years  of  age,  have  all  ac- 
cepted Christ  as  their  Saviour.  What  a wonderful  privilege  to  have  been 
permitted  to  take  the  message  of  salvation  to  these  aged  men  so  evidently 
prepared  to  receive  it. 

A very  wild  young  man  of  about  twenty  years  had  been  very  un- 
kind to  his  mother;  through  our  colporteurs  he  was  led  to  faith  in  Christ 
and  in  a public  meeting  confessed  to  his  mother  his  ill  treatment  of  her, 
asked  her  forgiveness  and  promised  in  the  future  to  be  a dutiful  son. 

A Chinese  evangelist  of  one  of  the  missions  in  whose  territory  we 
were  at  work  testified  that  he  had  been  preaching  the  Gospel  for  some 
years,  but  had  never  realized  the  power  of  prayer.  His  association  with 
our  colporteurs  had  led  him  to  see  the  meaning  and  power  of  prayer, 
and  he  had  determined  to  make  prayer  a prominent  feature  of  his  life 
and  work  in  the  future.  1 do  thank  God  that  He  is  graciously  using  our 
workers  both  to  bring  the  heathen  to  a saving  knowledge  of  Christ  Jesus, 
and  to  lead  Christians  and  Christian  workers  into  deeper,  truer  spiritual 
lives. 

Mr.  Cheng  (Leader  of  Band  No.  1 ) reports  as  follows: — “Our 
work  is  truly  one  of  great  joy;  large  numbers  of  people  are  being  in- 
fluenced by  the  Gospel,  and  not  a few  are  being  saved.  In  spite  of  con- 
tinued wind  and  rain  many  come  every  evening  to  our  special  class  for 
inquirers,  all  classes  of  people  are  coming, — literati,  merchants,  mech- 
anics and  farmers.  Satan  is  very  active  also;  reports  were  circulated  that 
each  of  our  books  has  three  hairs  between  the  pages,  and  that  when  the 


books  are  opened  the  hairs  fly  up  into  the  nostrils  of  the  readers  and 
poison  them.  Over  thirty  people  were  said  to  have  died  from  the  effects 
of  this  poison  in  our  previous  field  of  labor.  The  result  was  that  the  peo- 
ple feared  to  let  us  come  into  their  houses,  and  those  who  have  already 
received  books  were  afraid  to  read  them.  They  did  not  know  what  to 
do  with  the  books,  they  feared  to  keep  them  in  their  homes,  and  it  was 
said  that  the  books  would  not  burn,  that  if  they  threw  them  into  the  fire 
they  would  come  out  unharmed,  so  they  decided  to  dig  very  deep  holes 
and  bury  them. 

In  fear  and  anger  the  people  slammed  the  doors  in  the  faces  of  our 
colporteurs,  cursed  them  with  loud  voices,  and  sent  their  children  out 
to  follow  them  and  cry  out.  Beat  them,  beat  them. 

In  deep  distress  our  men  gave  themselves  to  prayer  and  fasting, 
seeking  guidance  and  help  from  God  in  this  difficult  situation.  God 
heard  their  prayers  and  seemed  to  open  the  very  windows  of  heaven 
and  pour  out  blessing  upon  them.  . . . This  blessing  from  God  is 

not  alone  in  response  to  our  prayer,  for  many  others  have  been  praying 
for  us.  Mr.  Lo  (an  evangelist  friend)  wrote  us  that  he  and  some  friends 
were  praying  for  us,  with  fasting,  every  Sunday  morning,  seeking  God’s 
blessing  on  our  work.  ” 

One  of  the  most  satisfactory  features  of  Dr.  Keller’s  work  is  the 
hearty  endorsement  given  it  by  all  the  evangelical  missionaries  in  China. 
Space  does  not  permit  us  to  quote  all  the  letters  which  come  to  us  along 
this  line,  but  we  are  giving  two,  one  from  the  Rev.  R.  W.  Porteous,  Mis- 
sionary of  the  China  Inland  Mission  in  the  Province  of  Kiangsi,  and  an- 
other from  Rev.  James  Webster,  of  the  Wesleyan  Mission  at  Pingkieng, 
Hunan  Province.  Mr.  Porteous  says; 

“The  more  I see  of  the  work  of  the  Biola  Evangelistic  Bands  the 
more  convinced  I am  that  God  guided  you  to  this  work.  These  bands 
of  soul-winners  are,  I believe,  a part  of  Mr.  Hudson  Taylor  s hitherto 
unanswered  prayer  that  the  Gospel  might  be  carried  to  every  creature. 
I do  thank  God  that  we  have  been  privileged  to  have  Bands  6 and  9 to 
work  in  this  needy  district  with  about  TWO  MILLION  STILL  UNEVAN- 
GELIZED. 

“Rev.  William  Taylor  (Superintendent  of  the  C.  I.  M.  in  Kiangsi) 
during  his  recent  visit  went  with  me  to  see  Bands  6 and  9 at  work.  He 
was  deeply  impressed  with  what  he  saw,  both  with  regard  to  the  work 
being  done  and  that  which  had  already  been  established  in  the  centers 
previously  worked  by  the  Biola  Bands.  ‘Our  Mission,’  he  remarked, 
'strongly  approves  of  such  work.’ 

“How  I wish  that  both  Mr.  Taylor  and  you  could  have  been  with 
me  on  my  more  recent  visit  to  Band  6.  I went  in  response  to  an  invita- 
tion from  the  leader,  Mr.  An,  who  asked  me  to  come  if  possible  to 
Huang-Mao  ere  they  left  that  center  to  take  up  work  in  another  place 
hitherto  untouched.  Now  I want  to  tell  you  of  my  visit. 

“First  of  all,  I got  a real  hearty  welcome  which  I fully  appreciated 
after  my  120  li.  1 was  asked  to  take  the  evening  meeting  in  the  new 
street  chapel  opened  by  the  people  of  the  place  as  a result  of  the  last 
two  months’  work  by  Band  No.  6.  Over  a hundred  hearers  packed  this 


place  right  out  to  the  street,  among  them  was  a Chinese  scholar  with  a 
B.  A.  degree  who  gave  a good  testimony  on  the  following  evening  to 
Jesus  the  Only  Saviour. 

1 reckon  that  we  had  a most  representative  crowd,  including 
scholars,  merchants,  artisans,  gentry,  farmers  and  laborers.  The  next 
day,  Sunday,  we  had  splendid  meetings  both  forenoon  and  afternoon. 
One  item  1 must  not  leave  out  was  the  singing  of  the  children.  1 wish 
you  could  have  heard  them  and  seen  them  as  1 did,  and  the  faces  of  the 
grown-ups  while  the  children  were  singing!  Real  pleasure  scarcely  de- 
scribes it,  they  were  simply  entranced ! 1 presided  at  the  organ,  and 

Mr.  Ou-Yang,  assistant  leader  of  Band  6,  led  the  singing.  He  certainly 
lays  himself  out  to  reach  the  children  and  through  them  the  grown-ups. 
The  little  chaps  sing  the  choruses  along  the  streets  on  the  way  home,  and 
when  they  get  there  they  keep  on  singing  till  their  little  sisters  catch  on 
too.  Here  is  one  of  the  choruses  roughly  translated; — 

‘Older  and  younger  brothers,  listen  to  what  1 say. 

Serve  your  fathers  and  mothers  and  do  less  play. 

Elder  and  younger  sisters,  you  make  up  your  mind. 

Father’s  and  mother’s  teaching  can’t  be  thrown  behind. 

The  true  God  is  supreme,  the  idols  can  be  seen. 

Mud-made,  wood-carved  and  eaten  by  white  ants. 

Hasten  while  you’re  young,  don’t  let  these  deceive, 

Trust  in  Jesus,  He’ll  save  you  and  me.’ 

“It  must  be  rather  humbling  for  the  parents  to  continue  their  devo- 
tions to  their  gods  of  mud  and  wood  with  these  little  folks  about.  Thank 
God  for  these  little  missionaries  of  the  Cross. 

“1  spent  Sunday  from  house  to  house  with  the  leader  and  assistant 
leader  of  Band  No.  6.  We  visited  a number  of  the  principal  homes  in 
and  around  this  market  town  and  were  cordially  welcomed  in  each. 
Some  of  the  venerable  old  gentlemen  who  received  us  were  exceedingly 
kind,  escorting  us  to  the  seats  of  honor  in  their  guest  halls  and  giving  us 
the  usual  tea  and  sweetmeats.  They  spoke  highly  of  the  work  of  Band 
No.  6,  and  of  the  truth  of  the  message,  one  old  man  said: — ‘What  else 
could  we  desire?’  1 don’t  know  when  1 could  have  seen  the  interior  of 
so  many  homes  in  Huang-Mao  had  not  Biola  Band  No.  6 been  there  open- 
ing hearts  and  homes  to  the  Gospel. 

“A  good  report  comes  of  Band  9,  who  have  only  begun  work 
these  last  two  months.  Some  forty  meet  with  them  for  prayer,  and  these 
are  preparing  to  rent  premises  in  which  to  continue  the  worship  of  God, 
the  same  as  at  Huang-Mao,  after  the  departure  of  the  Biola  Band. 

"Would  that  we  had  such  bands  of  earnest  workers  all  over  China 
to  gather  in  the  lost  ere  the  day  of  grace  has  for  them  become  the  night 
of  despair.  It  does  one’s  soul  good  to  visit  the  homes  of  those  who  have 
been  brought  in  by  our  Biola  Bands.  Think  of  the  idols  abolished,  and 
the  light  of  God’s  love  shining  in  homes  which  were  a year  ago  in  heathen 
darkness.  The  habitations  of  cruelty  are  being  made  the  dwelling  place 
of  the  Most  High.  Surely,  ‘The  Gospel  is  the  power  of  God  unto  salva- 
tion unto  every  one  that  believeth.’  1 am  sorry  for  those  who  do  not 


accept  the  miracles  of  our  Lord,  or  who  believe  that  the  day  of  miracles 
is  past.  It  may  be  for  them,  but  not  for  the  Biola  Evangelistic  Bands. 

“Heartily  yours  in  our  coming  Lord, 

ROB’T.  W.  PORTEOUS. 

“China  Inland  Mission,  Yuanchow,  Kiangsi,  China.” 

Mr.  Webster’s  letter: 

“As  a missionary  working  in  one  of  the  wide  country  districts  of 
Hunan  Province,  1 would  like  to  send  a note  of  appreciation  of  the  work 
done  by  the  Los  Angeles  Bible  Institute  under  the  very  able  direction  of 
my  old  friend.  Dr.  F.  A.  Keller,  whom  I have  known  since  I first  entered 
the  field  seventeen  years  ago. 

*“I  worked  for  five  years  in  connection  with  the  Hunan  Union 
Theological  School  in  Changsha,  and  there  had  the  opportunity  of  know- 
ing something  of  the  admirable  practical  training  capacity  of  Dr.  Keller; 
and  here  in  Pingkieng  have  not  only  had  the  advantage  of  seeing  that 
training  in  active  working,  but  also  of  enjoying  the  loyal  help  and  co- 
operation of  the  Chinese  workers,  thus  equipped,  in  and  around  the  vil- 
lages and  towns  which  comprise  the  sphere  of  our  Mission  work  in  this 
centre. 

“It  is  a pleasure  to  have  that  help,  and  to  see  its  undoubted  success 
in  bringing  the  Gospel  message  to  the  people  of  hamlets  and  mountain 
villages,  as  well  as  those  in  the  busy  river  marts  and  market  towns. 

“As  a Wesleyan  preacher,  the  method  appeals  to  me  in  a peculiarly 
attractive  way,  for  it  is  the  way  Wesley  exhorted  his  preachers,  from  the 
first,  to  follow:  “Go,  not  only  to  those  who  want  you,  but  to  those  who 
want  you  not.  Work,  not  only  in  the  ordinary  forms  of  worship,  but  from 
house  to  house.’  It  is  a fruitful  method  still. 

“ In  Dr.  Keller  and  his  wife  you  have  ideal  workers,  and  we  hope 
they  will  long  be  able  to  carry  on  their  activities.  It  will  be  imperative, 
at  no  distant  date,  to  reinforce  their  strength  by  additional  workers,  (for 
they  are  working  at  present  at  incredible  pressure),  if  they  are  to  be  kept 
with  strength  to  “carry  on“  and  if  their  work  is  to  be  conserved. 

“It  is  a delight  to  bear  this  testimony. 

“ Believe  me,  yours  sincerely, 

“Wesleyan  Mission  (Signed)  JAMES  WEBSTER. 

Pingkieng,  Hunan,  China. ’’ 

A WORD  FROM  DR.  KELLER  ABOUT  THE  LEADERS  OF  THE 

BIOLA  BANDS 

“How  good  God  is  to  let  me  be  engaged  in  such  work  as  this.” 

If  you  could  only  have  seen  the  face  of  Mr.  F.  S.  Hwang  this  after- 
noon when  he  came  into  my  office  and  spoke  the  words  quoted  above, 
you  would  realize  how  genuine  and  deep  is  the  gratitude  of  his  heart. 
Mr.  Hwang  is  one  of  our  workers  in  Band  No.  5,  he  is  a grand  preacher 
and  a most  successful  personal  worker.  It  always  does  one  good  to  have 
him  come  around.  About  two  years  ago  Mr.  Hwang  had  a terrible  fight 
with  that  awful  enemy  of  young  men  in  China,  tuberculosis.  Mr.  Hwang 


was  one  of  our  best  workers  and  we  felt  that  for  him  to  be  taken  would 
be  a real  tragedy.  How  we  did  pray  for  him!  His  own  heart  was  full 
of  courage  and  hope,  his  faith  laid  hold  on  God,  and  God  graciously 
spared  him  to  us  and  to  the  work.  If  you  could  look  at  him  now  you 
would  not  think  that  he  had  ever  been  ill,  a fine  ruddy  specimen  of  vig- 
orous young  manhood.  God  has  given  him  a bright,  well  educated  wife, 
an  earnest  Christian  who  seems  in  every  way  suited  to  be  a real  spiritual 
companion  and  helper.  And  yet,  Mr.  Hwang  is  willing  to  leave  his  wife 
and  home  for  months  at  a time  in  order  to  go  out  into  the  unevangelized 
places  and  tell  men  and  women  about  Jesus,  willing  and  mighty  to  save. 

And  this  is  true  not  only  of  Mr.  Hwang  but  of  the  1 1 7 devoted  men 
now  out  in  the  Biola  Evangelistic  Bands,  many  of  them  so  far  away  that 
they  can  get  home  to  their  families  only  once  in  the  year  for  a compara- 
tively short  vacation.  And  yet  they  love  the  work.  Like  Mr.  Hwang 
their  hearts  are  full  of  joy  as  they  constantly  realize  God’s  presence  and 
blessing.  As  you  think  of  these  young  men  and  pray  for  them,  please 
try  to  really  feel  the  great  sacrifices  they  are  making,  and  ask  God  to 
more  than  make  up  to  them  for  it  all.  He  will  surely  answer  your  prayers 
as  He  has  done  so  constantly  in  the  past. 

A few  weeks  ago  Mr.  Hwang  wrote  me  about  the  blessing  God 
was  giving  in  the  district  where  they  were  working.  Among  other  cases 
he  mentioned  three  brothers  by  the  name  of  Peng,  one  of  them  72  years 
of  age,  another  68,  and  a younger  brother.  They  seemed  much  inter- 
ested and  so  Mr.  Hwang  repeated  his  call.  He  gave  a Bible  to  each  of 
the  brothers  and  they  began  studying  God’s  Word.  These  men  had  been 
vegetarians  for  many  years,  but  as  they  studied  the  Bibles  they  were  con- 
victed of  sin,  and  became  convinced  that  vegetarianism  had  no  cleansing 
or  saving  power,  but  rather  deceived  and  injured  those  who  were  de- 
voted to  it;  and  the  three  brothers  broke  away  from  the  vegetarianism, 
accepted  Jesus  Christ  as  their  Saviour,  and  testified  to  the  peace  that  had 
come  into  their  hearts.  Another  case  was  a Mr.  Li  (pronounced  Lee), 
one  of  a band  of  sixteen  pilgrims  who  had  been  going  to  Nanyoh  regu- 
larly for  the  past  six  years.  They  were  glad  when  Mr.  Hwang  called  on 
them,  and  Mr.  Li  said  that  they  had  received  copies  of  the  Scriptures 
from  our  workers  at  Nanyoh,  they  had  been  studying  them,  and  through 
this  study  he  and  one  of  his  brothers  had  been  brought  to  faith  in  the 
Lord  Jesus  Christ. 

The  missionary  in  charge  of  the  field  in  which  Band  No.  5 has  been 
working  for  the  past  few  months  has  only  recently  returned  to  China 
from  furlough  and  last  Sunday  he  was  in  Changsha  having  come  here 
for  the  annual  meeting  of  his  mission.  On  meeting  me  he  called  out: 
’’Keller,  I want  to  have  a word  with  you.  The  work  of  your  band  of 
evangelists  in  our  district  is  simply  wonderful.  I am  amazed  and  de- 
lighted with  the  results  of  God’s  blessing  on  their  work.  I never  had  an 
opportunity  to  really  observe  this  work  before,  but  now  that  I have  seen 
what  it  is  and  what  is  accomplished  through  it  I feel  that  I must  have  a 
band  in  my  district  next  year.  ” 

THE  KING’S  BUSINESS  for  February  has  just  come  in  this  evening 
and  reminds  me  of  my  promise  to  tell  you  something  about  Mr.  Tan, 
leader  of  our  new  Band  No.  9.  Humanly  speaking,  everything  depends 


on  the  Chinese  leaders  of  these  bands.  They  must  be  men  of  tact,  of 
patience,  of  real  ability  in  a business  way,  men  of  prayer,  and  men  who 
really  know  God  and  His  Word.  They  must  be  men,  too,  who  are  con- 
scious of  a definite  call  from  God  to  this  work,  and  who  are  fully  yielded 
to  Him  for  it.  We  praise  God  that  He  has  given  us  a number  of  just 
such  men.  A missionary  wrote  me  recently:  “We  are  so  happy  to  have 
one  of  the  Biola  Evangelistic  Bands  in  our  field,  and  are  so  grateful  for 
the  leader,  Mr.  Ih,  he  is  such  a man  of  prayer.”  Well,  Mr.  Tan  is  just 
such  a man,  well  educated  and  trained  and  yet  so  humble,  and  wholly 
given  up  to  this  work.  For  several  years  he  served  as  assistant  leader 
in  Band  No.  3,  and  when  the  opportunity  came  to  organize  Band  No.  9 
he  was  asked  to  assume  the  leadership  of  this  band.  Two  years  ago  a 
missionary  came  to  us  at  Nanyoh  and  asked  if  we  could  supply  him  with 
an  evangelist.  I told  him  that  he  might  feel  free  to  talk  with  any  of  the 
men  and  if  he  found  one  who  suited  him  he  might  give  him  a call.  If 
the  man  accepted  the  call  and  went  with  him  it  would  be  perfectly  agree- 
able to  us.  After  some  days  of  observation  and  conversation  with  the 
men  he  chose  Mr.  Tan  and  gave  him  a call,  but  Mr.  Tan  promptly  and 
positively  declined  it.  He  said  that  God  had  definitely  called  him  to 
this  work  and  that  he  could  not  leave  it  voluntarily.  About  a year  later 
another  mission  needed  a specially  able  and  strong  man  for  an  important 
post  and  asked  if  we  could  supply  them  with  such  a man.  I gave  him 
photographs  of  several  men,  told  him  all  1 know  about  them,  and  told 
him  that  if  he  considered  any  of  them  suitable  I would  put  him  in  touch 
with  the  man  and  try  to  arrange  an  interview. 

This  missionary  also  chose  Mr.  Tan.  It  happened  that  Mr.  Tan 
had  just  arrived  in  Changsha  for  his  summer  vacation  and  I gave  his  ad- 
dress to  the  missionary  and  told  him  that  he  might  call  on  Mr.  Tan,  and 
that  if  after  a personal  interview  with  him  he  still  felt  like  extending  a 
call  he  might  do  so.  The  missionary  made  the  visit  and  gave  a call  to 
Mr.  Tan,  but  never  reported  the  result  to  me.  To  accept  the  call  would 
mean  a position  of  no  little  influence,  settled  work  in  a place  where  he 
could  have  his  family  with  him,  a larger  salary  than  we  could  offer  him 
and  with  it  all  a work  that  was  just  as  definitely  a work  for  God  as  his 
work  in  the  bands.  A couple  of  weeks  later  I met  Mr.  Tan  and  asked 

him,  “Did  Mr. call  on  you,  and  did  he  ask  you  to  serve  his  mission 

as  evangelist?”  When  he  replied  in  the  affirmative  I asked  him,  “What 
did  you  say  to  him?”  Mr.  Tan  just  looked  at  me  and  smiled;  for  some 
time  he  did  not  say  a word,  but  that  smile  was  as  good  as  a long  speech; 
I will  not  soon  forget  it.  But  finally  he  said  to  me  what  he  had  said  to 
the  other  missionary  a year  before:  God  has  called  me  to  the  work  of 
the  Biola  Evangelistic  Bands,  and  just  as  long  as  He  wants  me  in  this 
work  I am  unwilling  to  consider  calls  to  any  other  work.” 

Mr.  Tan,  with  Band  No.  9,  a band  organized  after  much  earnest 
and  united  prayer,  went  into  a wholly  unevangelized  field  in  Kiangsi  on 
the  first  of  November  last.  They  were  in  their  first  district  for  two 
months  and  four  days.  They  went  out  from  their  center  in  every  direc- 
tion for  a distance  of  about  five  miles,  visiting  practically  every  home. 
Some  two  hundred  and  forty  people  seemed  to  be  really  moved  by  the 
Gospel,  and  about  half  of  this  number  gave  evidence  of  having  truly 


accepted  Christ.  Two  families  removed  all  idols  from  their  homes,  some 
thirty  persons  attended  the  evening  Bible  classes  for  enquirers,  from  fifty 
to  sixty  students  attended  the  Sunday  afternoon  Bible  classes,  and  a self- 
supporting  society  for  Bible  study  and  prayer  was  organized  before  the 
Band  left  for  a new  center  of  work.  The  rich  results  of  God’s  blessing 
on  the  work  of  this  new  band  in  its  first  field  have  filled  our  hearts  with 
joy.  What  joy  the  report  must  bring  to  God’s  servant  at  home  whose 
generous  gift  has  made  possible  the  work  of  Biola  Evangelistic  Band  No. 
9,  as  well  as  Bands  3,  4 and  8,  from  all  of  whom  equally  stirring  and  in- 
spiring reports  have  come,  both  from  the  leaders  of  the  bands,  and  from 
the  missionaries  in  whose  fields  they  have  been  at  work.  The  Rev.  Wil- 
liam Taylor,  Superintendent  of  the  China  Inland  Mission  for  the  Province 
of  Kiangsi,  after  a recent  visit  with  Mr.  Porteous  to  Bands  6 and  9,  wrote 
me  of  the  great  joy  he  felt  at  seeing  the  methods  and  results  of  the  work, 
and  added:  "I  wish  that  such  bands  might  be  doing  similar  work  in 
every  province  of  China.” 


Dr.  Torrey  with  Dr.  Keller  on  a Colportage  Boat 


187,247  HEATHEN  HOMES 

were  visited  by  our  evangelists  and  students  during  the  period  from 
October  1,  1919,  to  July  15,  1920,  the  student  work  continuing  to 
August  1 5. 

Of  these  homes,  1 73,532  were  visited  by  the  evangelists  of  the  six 
bands  (all  we  had  at  that  time),  1 0,083  by  our  students  during  the  school 
year,  and  3632  by  our  junior  students  during  their  summer  vacation. 

Oh!  do  pray  for  us,  daily  if  possible,  and  for  the  1 1 7 men,  includ- 
ing the  nine  leaders,  who  are  out  in  all  kinds  of  weather,  often  coming  in 
at  night  wet  from  head  to  foot,  telling  heathen  men  and  women  about 
Jesus,  mighty  to  save.  1 do  wish  that  you  could  see  the  letters  that  have 
come  in  during  the  past  two  weeks  pleading  for  evangelistic  bands  for 
fields  that  seem  just  ripe  for  the  harvest.  A few  days  ago  1 replied  to 


Student  Body,  Bible  Institute  at  Changsha,  1920 


one  missionary  promising  him  a band  for  his  very  large  and  important 
field  to  begin  work,  if  our  Lord  tarries  so  long,  on  October  first,  nineteen 
twenty-two.  That  is  the  best  we  can  possibly  do.  Work  is  already  laid 
out  for  all  our  bands  up  to  that  date,  and  for  some  of  them  way  beyond 
that  date. 


Graduating  Class,  1920 


The  Hunan  Autumn  Bible  School 

South  of  the  center  of  Hunan  is  Nan  Yoh,  one  of  the  so-called  “sac- 
red mountains”  of  China.  Many  temples  and  hundreds  of  priests  are 
there,  one  temple  being  at  the  very  summit  of  the  mountain.  Dr.  Keller 
says:  “Several  years  ago  the  Rev.  G.  G.  Warren,  of  the  English  Wes- 
leyan Mission,  visited  Nan  Yoh,  and  saw  the  wonderful  opportunity  there, 
a field  ‘ripe  unto  the  harvest.’  There  he  saw  thousands,  aye,  tens  of 
thousands  of  young,  earnest,  worshipping  pilgrims  bowing  down  to  false 
gods.  He  came  back  to  Changsha  and  with  heart  aflame  told  a story 


Hunan  Autumn  Bible  School 

Building  in  which  the  sessions  of  the  school  have  been  held  for  six  years 


that  stirred  our  souls,  and  that  some  of  us  will  never  forget.  One  of  the 
results  of  that  visit  and  of  that  address  is  the  Hunan  Autumn  Bible 
School.  Mr.  Warren  has  been  one  of  the  most  enthusiastic  supporters 
of  the  School  and  one  of  the  most  acceptable  teachers  during  its  entire 
history.  Each  autumn  since  that  address  was  given,  we  have  had  the 
privilege  of  inviting  the  Chinese  pastors  and  evangelists  of  Hunan  to 
come  to  Nan  Yoh  as  our  guests,  and  join  us  in  three  weeks  of  Bible  study, 
conference  and  prayer,  and  in  personal  work  among  the  pilgrims.  We 
have  fitted  up  a large  house  in  which  we  can  entertain  about  seventy  men, 
and  we  secure  lodgings  in  neighboring  houses  for  any  others  who  come, 
all  dining  together  at  the  main  building.  Usually  about  eighty  men  from 
ten  or  twelve  different  missions  have  accepted  our  invitation  and  have 
come  to  the  mountain  to  enjoy  the  bracing  air,  the  good  food,  the  happy 
fellowship  and  the  blessed  work. 


These  men  have  been  converted,  then  trained  and  finally  set  at 
work  in  one  center  where  they  have  only  met  a half  dozen  missionaries, 
often  less,  and  no  Chinese  Christians  or  workers  outside  of  their  own 
city.  Think  what  it  must  mean  to  them  to  come  to  a place  where  they 
are  free  from  all  care,  no  family  or  work  to  look  after,  and  where  they 
can  meet,  confer  and  pray  with  Chinese  workers  from  all  over  the  prov- 
ince, and  be  led  in  the  study  of  God’s  Word  by  missionaries  of  various 
churches,  and  join  in  three  weeks  of  intense,  fruitful,  heart  to  heart  labor 
among  thousands  of  earnest,  religiously  inclined  young  men. 

In  the  early  fall  our  boat  companies  adjourn  for  this  month  of  Bible 
study,  conference  and  special  work  among  the  pilgrims  to  the  famous 
shrines. 


Delegates  to  Nan  Yoh  Bible  Conference,  1920 

THE  DAILY  PROGRAM  OF  THE  AUTUMN  BIBLE  SCHOOL 

The  program  of  work  is  as  follows: 

Forenoon:  Three  lecture  and  quiz  periods,  45  minutes  each. 

Afternoon:  Practical  work  and  Scripture  distribution  among  the 

pilgrims. 

Evening:  Evangelistic  services,  writing  up  lecture  notes  and  study. 

Rev.  R.  W.  Porteous,  a Missionary  of  the  China  Inland  Mission  in 
the  Province  of  Kiangsi,  writing  of  his  visit  to  Nan  Yoh  last  year,  says: 

“Another  delightful  thing  about  the  Nan  Yoh  Conference  is  the 
direct  evangelistic  work  carried  on  daily  by  the  men  in  addition  to  all  the 
Bible  studies  and  other  meetings. 

Out  With  the  Gospel  at  3 A.  M. 

“I  just  managed  to  get  up  one  morning  at  3 a.  m.  to  join  one  of  the 
groups  of  workers  as  they  started  out  to  waylay  the  pilgrims  on  the  vari- 


ous  main  roads  leading  to  and  from  Nan  Yoh.  These  groups  of  which 
there  are  four,  start  out  each  morning  in  rotation  with  lanterns  at  the 
above  mentioned  hour,  each  party  loaded  with  Gospel  ammunition — 
some  thousand  booklets  for  each  group.  Often  these  are  insufficient  for 
a morning’s  distribution,  so  many  pilgrims  pass  along  the  roads. 

“One  of  the  leading  Chinese  evangelists  who  greatly  blessed  the 
students  with  his  straight  talks  one  year,  and  who  was  himself  greatly 
blessed  in  his  communion  with  the  men,  said  to  me.  It  isn’t  the  mere  fact 
that  they  get  up  so  early  that  impressed  me  most:  it  is  the  way  they  do  it. 


The  Rev.  G.  G.  Warren  and  a party  of  colporteurs  at  Nan  Yoh 


Each  man  seems  to  have  a conscience  as  to  the  man  in  the  next  bed 
whose  turn  it  is  to  sleep  on  (they  go  out  twice  a week  in  the  afternoons 
and  others  twice  in  the  mornings).  I am  much  struck  with  the  quiet 
way  in  which  they  get  up  and  go  out.’ 

“Our  stand  that  morning  was  on  the  Paoching  road,  we  followed 
along  in  the  trail  of  the  lantern  light  till  we  came  to  a little  shelter  near 
by  a temple.  It  was  still  dark  when  we  got  there  but  our  lanterns  lit  up 
the  shelter.  While  waiting  for  the  pilgrims  we  talked  over  how  best  to 


present  the  Gospel  message  concisely  and  simply  in  the  briefest  possible 
time.  Presently  as  we  were  talking  we  heard  through  the  darkness  the 
voices  of  approaching  pilgrims  singing  as  they  tramped  along.  In  an 
instant  every  man  was  at  his  post  with  his  hands  full  of  Gospel  booklets, 
then  as  each  pilgrim  appeared  in  the  light,  the  message  of  Life  and  Light 
was  poured  into  his  ears  and  placed  in  his  hand.  Those  who  wished  to 
rest  were  invited  to  sit  down,  and  as  they  thus  rested,  they  were  told 
the  only  way  to  get  true  rest  and  happiness.  One  thinks  of  those 
‘shelters  of  light’  along  the  dark  dreary  roads  of  night  and  what  they 
must  mean  to  these  hungry-hearted,  footsore  pilgrims  as  they  pass  on 
their  way,  some  out  into  the  darkness  again  and  others,  thank  God ! out 
into  the  light  of  day.  As  we  worked  on,  gradually  the  darkness  gave 
way  to  the  glory  of  dawn  suggestive  surely  of  ‘A  morning  without  clouds’ 
which  He  shall  be  to  many  a Nan  Yoh  pilgrim  because  of  these  ‘Light 
shelters’  along  the  road.  ” 

EMPTY  BASKETS  AND  FULL  HEART 

Dr.  Keller  writes  regarding  the  1920  Conference: 

“The  enthusiasm  with  which  men  come  to  the  Nan  Yoh  Conference 
was  well  illustrated  this  year  by  a Mr.  Chen,  a man  of  about  seventy 
years  of  age.  Mr.  Chen  had  been  led  to  faith  in  Christ  by  some  of  the 
Biola  workers  several  years  ago,  and  had  longed  to  attend  one  of  the 
conferences,  but  his  home  was  five  days’  journey  distant  and  he  did  not 
have  sufficient  money  to  pay  the  traveling  expenses.  This  year  he  deter- 
mined that  he  would  manage  some  way  to  attend  the  conference.  He 
made  up  a large  quantity  of  sugared  oranges,  and  with  his  heavy  load 
he  started  for  Nan  Yoh  selling  the  oranges  by  the  way  to  pay  expenses. 
His  load  grew  lighter  as  the  distance  grew  shorter,  and  at  last  he  reached 
Nan  Yoh  with  empty  baskets  but  with  a full  heart,  and  there  he  made 
captive  of  us  all  by  his  joyous  and  triumphant  smile.  Before  the  con- 
ference closed  the  Chinese  delegates  made  up  a little  purse  for  him  so 
that  his  return  trip  was  not  so  difficult. 

“I  think  I am  right  in  saying  that  we  have  never  had  a year  without 
having  evidence  borne  by  some  students  or  other  that  the  work  of  the 
previous  year  (or  years)  has  borne  fruit  in  positive  additions  by  baptism 
during  the  past  twelve  months. 

“Before  closing  this  letter  I want  to  give  you  just  one  incident  in 
connection  with  this  work  among  these  humble  mountain  folk.  At  the 
door  of  a little  thatched  cottage  sat  an  elderly  woman  spinning  cotton, 
as  the  evangelists  were  passing  she  called  to  them  and  asked  them  to 
come  in  and  tell  her  their  doctrine.  She  listened  with  intense  earnest- 
ness, interrupting  with  questions  when  she  did  not  fully  understand. 
When  they  had  finished  she  said:  ‘Sirs,  my  life  has  been  a very  bitter 
one,  it  must  be  that  I have  many  sins.  I have  worshipped  the  Goddess 
of  Mercy  with  diligence  and  faithfulness,  but  have  no  peace.  Now  you 
tell  me  that  Jesus  is  able  to  forgive  sin  and  to  give  peace,  this  in  truth 
is  good  news  indeed.  From  this  time  I will  no  longer  worship  the  God- 
dess of  Mercy,  but  will  with  all  my  heart  trust  in  Jesus,  and  seek  from 
Him  forgiveness.  But  please  tell  me  just  how  to  worship  Jesus.’  And 


then,  as  they  had  done  many,  many  times  before  in  similar  cases,  the 
evangelists  taught  the  poor  old  woman  a simple  prayer,  and  as  they 
knelt  there  together  this  newborn  child  of  God  poured  out  her  soul  for 
the  first  time  in  prayer  to  the  living  and  true  God.  After  their  united 
prayer  and  as  the  evangelists  were  leaving  her,  she  thanked  them  over 
and  over  again  and  said  to  them:  ‘Here  1 am,  sixty  years  old,  and  have 
never  before  heard  this  Gospel,  and  if  you  had  not  come  here  I would 
have  gone  down  to  death  without  having  heard.’ 

“1  fully  believe  that  there  are  millions  more  in  China  whose  hearts 
are  ready  to  believe  in  Jesus,  if  only  someone  would  go  to  them  and  tell 
them  of  Him.  But,  oh,  the  laborers  are  so  few!  ” 


Rev.  R.  W.  Porteous  and  the  aged  Mr.  Chen  who  walked  for  five  days  to  get  to  the 
Nan  Yoh  Bible  Conference 


NEW  STATIONS 

One  incident  from  a recent  report  will  demonstrate  the  far-reach- 
ing influence  of  this  department  of  our  work.  One  of  our  leaders,  Mr. 
Cheng,  writes:  “Last  year  the  five  sons  of  a prominent  resident  of  Tui- 
Kuang-Chow,  a man  76  years  of  age,  went  to  the  Sacred  Mountain  to 
worship  and  each  received  a copy  of  the  New  Testament.  On  their  re- 
turn, the  father  devoted  most  of  his  time  to  reading  these  new  books. 
Very  soon  he  became  convinced  of  the  truth  of  the  gospel  and  then  em- 


braced  every  opportunity  to  talk  to  his  neighbors  about  it,  until  they  said 
he  had  become  crazy.  He  took  one  of  the  Testaments  and  sent  it  to  a 
very  dear  friend  in  Kweiyang,  the  capital  of  the  province  of  Kweichow. 
When  we  reached  the  village,  and  the  old  man  learned  that  we  were 
preachers  of  the  gospel,  he  welcomed  us  to  his  home  as  though  we  were 
near  of  kin.  He  asked  many  questions  about  the  gospel,  to  which  we 
replied  by  showing  his  passages  of  Scripture  bearing  on  the  points  raised. 
At  the  close  of  our  conversation  the  old  man  said:  If  only  I were  younger 
I would  like  to  go  out  with  you  and  proclaim  this  wonderful  story  of  the 
saving  grace  of  the  Lord.  As  it  is,  I shall  do  my  best  to  lead  my  family 
and  my  neighbors  to  repent  and  believe.’ 

One  missionary  who  visited  Nan  Yoh,  after  seeing  the  opportunity 
and  the  work,  said: — “Would  it  not  be  possible  to  provide  quarters  for 
a number  of  missionaries?  I would  like  to  see  the  rule  adopted  in  our 
mission  that  every  new  missionary  should  attend  one  session  of  the 
Hunan  Autumn  Bible  School  before  beginning  his  active  missionary 
service.” 


The  Pilgrims*  Ten  Mile  Flight 

The  road  up  the  mountain  is  ten  miles  long,  and  about  half  of  it  consists  of  steps 


The  case  of  a Mr.  Liu,  a former  priest,  affords  a beautiful  example 
of  how  God  blesses  and  uses  these  books.  His  own  precious  Word,  given 
out  in  prayer  and  faith.  Mr.  Liu  was  in  a home  in  the  ctiy  of  Liling  per- 
forming the  idolatrous  ceremonies  connected  with  his  priestly  office, 
when  he  saw  an  attractive  looking  book  lying  on  the  idol’s  shrine.  He 
asked  what  it  was  and  his  host  replied  that  it  had  been  given  to  him  at 
Nan  Yoh  where  he  had  gone  on  a pilgrimage  the  previous  year.  The 
priest  asked  the  privilege  of  taking  it  with  him  to  read.  The  book  was 
our  “Synopsis  of  the  Gospel,"  a brief  story  of  the  life  of  Christ  wholly 
in  the  language  of  Scripture.  Mr.  Liu  took  it,  read  it,  and  without  any 


Mr.  Hsiao  telling  pilgrim  (on  his  22nd  annual  pilgrimage)  how  the  camera  worked 

human  help  was  led  by  it  to  give  up  his  priesthood  and  idolatry  and  ac- 
cept Jesus  Christ  as  his  Saviour  and  Lord.  He  noticed  the  invitation  in 
the  book  to  attend  the  Gospel  chapel  and  though  he  is  64  years  of  age, 
and  lives  ten  miles  from  Liling,  every  Sunday  when  the  weather  is  not 
too  severe  he  walks  into  the  city,  bringing  his  dinner  with  him,  and  after 
the  services  of  the  day  returns  again  to  his  home. 

Dr.  Torrey  spent  four  months  in  China  in  1919  and  is  most  enthus- 
iastic in  his  endorsement  of  Dr.  Keller’s  work.  He  says  regarding  it: 


“Of  all  the  institutions  and  various  forms  of  Christian  activity,  vis- 
ited by  me  in  China,  1 saw  nothing  that  impressed  me  quite  as  much  as 
being  exactly  fitted  to  meet  the  needs  of  the  times  in  China  as  the  work 
of  Dr.  Keller  in  Changsha,  and  the  other  lines  of  activity  connected  with 
it.  What  is  needed  in  China  are  institutions  for  the  training  of  pastors 
and  ministers  which  shall  be  conducted  more  along  the  line  of  some  of 
our  Bible  Institutes  in  America  rather  than  along  the  line  of  a theological 
seminary.  Dr.  Keller  has  built  up  such  an  institution  in  Changsha.  At 
present,  this  work  is  housed  in  rented  buildings  which  are  altogether  in- 
adequate for  its  needs,  but  suitable  buildings  are  in  course  of  construc- 
tion in  what  is  regarded  by  all  who  know  conditions  there  to  be  the  best 


Kneeling  Pilgrims  at  Nan  Yoh 


location  in  Changsha;  a location  so  excellent  that  the  Union  Theological 
Seminary  has  purchased  ground  immediately  adjacent  on  which  to  erect 
buildings,  and  another  great  organization  is  trying  to  get  property  ad- 
jacent. 

“Dr.  Keller’s  work  evidently  has  the  confidence  of  every  one  whose 
confidence  is  worth  anything.  On  the  day  of  my  arrival  in  Shanghai, 
one  of  the  old  and  tried  missionaries  of  the  C.  I.  M.  urged  me  to  see  the 
work  of  Dr.  Keller,  saying  that  it  was  one  of  the  greatest  and  most  re- 
markable in  China.  The  head  of  the  Medical  Department  of  the  Uni- 
versity that  is  founded  and  conducted  by  Yale  and  located  in  Changsha, 
spoke  to  me  in  the  highest  terms  of  both  Dr.  Keller  and  his  work,  and 
said  every  one  had  confidence  in  him,  for  a body  of  ten  Chinese  and 
Americans  who  should  be  counsellors  of  their  hospital,  chose  Dr.  Keller 
as  one  of  the  ten.  He  also  spoke  in  the  highest  terms  of  Dr.  Keller’s 
tact,  judgment  and  consecration.  The  President  of  the  Union  Theologi- 
cal Seminary  at  Nan  Yoh  who,  if  any  one,  would  have  occasion  to  be 
jealous,  talked  with  me  an  hour  at  Kuling,  telling  me  that  the  bands  of 
workers  sent  out  by  Dr.  Keller  to  different  communities  had  revolution- 


ized  the  church  life  of  those  communities,  and  said  that  his  work  at  Nan 
Yoh  was  one  of  the  most  remarkable  in  the  country. 

“Dr.  Keller  has  associated  with  him  in  the  work  a Mr.  Hsaio,  whom 
I met  and  with  whom  I was  greatly  impressed,  and  was  told  by  others  of 
his  singular  fitness  for  the  work.  One  prominent  man  told  me  that  Mr. 
H saio  was  the  ablest  Chinese  in  the  Province  of  Hunan.” 


HOW  THE  RECORDS  ARE  KEPT 


Party  Nb.l-Lcadcr,  Cheng  Tucn  Tao 
PartT  No. 2-  " Tien  llain  Pei 

Party  No.3-  " Kang  Chlen  Heng 

PartT  No.4-  " On  Yang  Tien  N1 

Party  No.5-  " Hwang  Chieh-'Aan 

Party  No. 6-  " .An  Yon-Llng 


m m ^ m m m 

l^unan  (Solportagp  ISork 

BIBLE  INSTITUTE  OF  LOS  ANGELES 
Cmanosha.  Hunan.  China 


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THE  PRESENT  AND  PRESSING  OPPORTUNITY  AEFORDED  THE 
BIBLE  INSTITUTE  OF  LOS  ANGELES  IN  HUNAN 
( 1 ) Hunan  has  a population  of  22,000,000. 

(2)  From  having  been  one  of  the  most  conservative  provinces 
of  the  empire,  it  has  recently  become  one  of  the  most  progressive.  At 
once  symbolic  and  indicative  of  this  is  the  fact  that  the  great  wall  that 
for  ages  has  separated  it  from  the  surrounding  world,  is  now  in  process 
of  removal,  under  the  direction  of  the  government,  and  the  massive 
gates  that  have  for  ages  shut  out  that  world  by  night,  were  recently  left 
open,  never  to  be  closed  again. 


(3)  A modern  railway  connects  it  with  the  adjacent  province  of 
Kiangsi  with  its  26,000,000  inhabitants,  giving  us  in  the  two  provinces 
— bound  closely  by  business  and  social  relationships — a population  half 
the  size  of  that  of  the  United  States! 

(4)  Changsha,  the  capital  of  Hunan,  is  electric  lighted  and  a tele- 
phone system  has  been  installed  with  the  lines  under  ground,  after  the 
most  approved  fashion. 

(5)  A public  water  plant  is  projected. 

(6)  Business  men  (foreigners)  are  looking  about  for  suitable 
sites  for  factories,  business  houses,  etc.  The  prices  of  real  estate  are  ris- 
ing and  Chinese  who  can  do  so  are  picking  up  desirable  sites  intending 
to  hold  them  for  higher  prices. 

(7)  A broad  boulevard  will  supplant  the  wall,  after  its  de- 
molition. 

(8)  The  population  of  Hunan  is  well  educated  and  energetic. 

(9)  Its  capital  is  an  educational  center,  and  one  of  four  cities 
chosen  by  the  Rockefeller  Foundation  as  the  seat  of  its  medical  work. 

(10)  Fifteen  denominations  are  at  work  in  the  province,  and  are 
carrying  on  schools  for  boys  and  girls,  which  will  be  great  feeders  for 
our  Bible  School  work. 

(11)  Many  points  are  now  ready  for  new  stations  had  we  trained 
men  to  man  them. 

(12)  Demands  are  coming  in  continually  for  trained  evangelists 

OUR  NEEDS  FOR  THE  HUNAN  WORK 

The  Floating  Bible  Schools 

We  d esire  to  increase  the  fleet  of  boats  from  nine  to  twelve. 

The  cost  of  maintaining  one  of  these  boats  for  one  year,  including 
the  upkeep  of  the  boat,  workers’  salaries  and  cost  of  literature,  is  approxi- 
mately $5000.00,  or  $45,000.00  for  nine  boats.  This  means  an  ex- 
penditure of  $3750.00  each  month. 

The  cost  of  supporting  a single  colporteur  for  a year  is,  approxi- 
mately, $75.00. 

The  Bible  Institute  of  Changsha 

The  approximate  cost  of  supporting  a student  in  the  Institute  at 
Changsha,  for  the  school  period  of  nine  months,  from  September  to  June, 
is  at  the  present  time  about  $40.00.  This  amount  covers  cost  of  food, 
lights,  books  and  $1.00  a month  for  incidental  expenses.  Tuition  and 
room  rent  are  free. 

As  it  is  required  that  students  come  prepared  to  take  the  full  course, 
unless  prevented  by  ill  health  or  some  equally  good  reason,  and  be  pro- 
vided with  clothing  and  funds  sufficient  to  pay  their  expenses  for  two 
years,  a scholarship  would  cost  $80.00. 

Picture  the  value  of  these  students,  a part  of  whose  practical  work 
will  be  house-to-house  visitation,  neighborhood  Bible  Classes,  city  mis- 
sions and  personal  work!  Will  they  not  be  a great  factor  in  the  evange- 
lization of  this  large  city,  the  capital  of  a great  and  influential  province? 


This  work  is  FOUNDED  upon  a WHOLE  BIBLE  and  the  OLD 
BIBLE,  with  a WHOLE-HEARTED  man  in  charge,  and  is  heartily  com- 
mended and  endorsed  by  all  the  evangelical  missionaries  in  China. 

We  believe  that  it  is  one  of  the  best  investments  for  definite,  soul- 
saving work  ever  offered,  and  commend  it  to  the  Lord’s  people.  We  will 
be  glad  to  receive  contributions  for  any  amount,  in  behalf  of  any  portion 
of  it.  (See  inside  back  cover  for  further  suggestions  along  this  line). 

Inspiring  accounts  of  the  Hunan  work  appear  each  month  in  THE 
KING’S  BUSINESS  (the  100  page  monthly  magazine  of  the  Bible  Insti- 
tute of  Los  Angeles),  and  any  further  details  which  may  be  desired  will 
be  gladly  furnished  upon  application  to 

T.  C.  HORTON,  Superintendent, 

Bible  Institute  of  Los  Angeles, 

Los  Angeles,  California. 


Priest  and  shrine  on  road  half  way  up  the  mountain  Nan  Yoh 


BIBLE  INSTITUTE  OF  LOS  ANGELES 

Under  whose  auspices  the  Hunan  work  is  conducted 


THE  CRISIS  IN  CHINA 

How  to  Meet  It, 

Compute  the  Value ! 

Dr.  A.  A.  Fulton,  the  Dean  of  the  Presbyterian  missionaries  in 
China  (40  years),  has  said:  “One  thoroughly  trained  native  missionary 
is  of  more  value  to  China  than  ten  missionaries  from  other  countries.” 

Can  you  make  a better  investment  of  funds  for  work  in  China  than 
in  this  school?  These  natives  will  be  well  and  thoroughly  trained  for 
service  and  will  be  working  under  various  evangelical,  denominational 
auspices. 

(1)  You  can  support  a student  for  one  year  in  Changsha 

Bible  Institute  for $ 40.00 

(2)  You  can  supply  a scholarship  for  one  student  for  two 

years  for  80.00 

(3)  You  can  support  a colporteur  for  one  year  on  one  of  the 

boats  for  75.00 

(4)  You  can  equip  and  maintain  one  of  these  boats  for  one 

year  for  5,000.00 


MILLIONS  ARE  DYING  IN  CHINA 
WITHOUT  EVER  HAVING  HEARD  A GOSPEL  MESSAGE! 
THE  CRY  GOES  TO  GOD! 


Does  It  Reach  Your  Ears? 


